Activity Update February 2017: Navegaon-Nagzira

Highlights:

We helped unemployed villager Devchand Madavi buy this cart -
now he sells vegetables in four villages!

Mangezari plastic litter clean-up drive

Dr Bhasme examines a patient at our free health camp at Alezari

Our Conservation Officer Mukund Dhurve speaking to students
of Bolunda school about nature conservation

Volunteers clear a jungle waterhole

Another waterhole cleaned by our volunteers

Volunteers patrol Compartment 114 with us and the forest staff 

Mangezari - tree guards put up by us to protect saplings planted last year

Mangezari - volunteer watering saplings

THE FULL REPORT

Team:

Mukund Dhurve         - Conservation Officer

Jivraj Salam                 - Field assistant

Salimkumar Dhurve    - Field assistant

Highlights

·      Joined Forest Department staff on 5 patrols

·      3 programmes to clean water holes in Compartments no.114, 56, 109

·      6 community assistance voluntary work programmes to clean area next to hand pumps at Kuradi, Boatola, Sodlagondi, Mangezari Bagadband and Umarzari

·      6 anti-plastic programmes at Kuradi, Boatola, Sodlagondi, Mangezari, Bagadband and Umarzari

·      Organised 5 education programmes in schools focusing on eco –friendly Holi celebration -793 students attended

·      Conducted medical camps in 6 villages at which 119 patients got treatment

Conservation 

Our team organised 3 programmes in February to clean water holes in Compartments 114, 56, 109. The water holes were covered in organic scum and litter, making it difficult for wildlife to drink.

Our team also organised 6 community assistance programmes in February to clear areas around hand pumps at Kuradi, Boatola, Sodlagondi, Mangezari Bagadband and Umarzari. Unemployed youths from Mangezari participated in all programmes which were led by Mukund and Salimkumar. Details of the programmes are given in the table above. Water had spilled over while people drew from the hand pumps and had stagnated, leading to proliferation of mosquitoes and insects. Our teams cleared the area, removing scum and organic growth and dug canals to drain away the water.

Our team joined the Forest Department in day and night patrols on the roads from Mangezari to Kodebarra, Mangezari to Jindatola, Mangezari to Govindtola, Mangezari to Bagadband and in Compartment no. 108, on February 6, 10, 11, 16, and 21. Besides our staff, volunteers from a youth club at Mangezari also joined in the patrols. The youth club was set up with our assistance and is mentored by our Conservation Officer Mukund Dhurve.       

During the month, our team organised 6 anti-plastic programmes to clean polythene/plastic litter from villages. The programmes were organised on February 2, 5, 7, 12, 17 and 21 at Kuradi, Boatola, Sodlagondi, Mangezari, Bagadband and Umarzari villages respectively. Mukund, Salimkumar and Jivraj organised the programmes which were attended by villagers and village eco-development committee (VEDC) members. The plastic litter has been kept in our Mangezari office and will be sent to Tiroda for recycling.

The Government of Maharashtra has issued the buffer zone notification for the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve. Following this, doubts have sprung up in the minds of villagers as to how they will be affected by the notification. Due to the doubts, some villagers are opposing the notification. To clear these doubts and misgivings, we organised a total of 3 awareness programmes during February in 3 villages – Boatola, Sodlagondi and Thadezari.

Education

There were 5 education programmes during February 2017.

Employment Cell activities

Our team gave financial assistance to a villager, Devchand Madavi, to buy a cart which he uses to sell vegetables in 4 villages. Thanks to our assistance, this villager who was unemployed now earns Rs 1500 rupees per month. He is confident of increasing this income in the coming months.  

On February 22, we held a meeting at Mangezari at which villagers were given information about livelihood development programmes run by Star Swayam Rozgar Kendra, Gondia. This is an institute run by Bank of India which provided free training to people to develop livelihood skills.

We are planning to organise a programme jointly with Star Swayam Rozgar Kendra to train villagers in making bangles and other products from lac taken from trees located in fields and villages.

MHU

There were 6 health camps in February 2017.

Activity Update February 2017: Kanha

Highlights:

Employment Cell: We got Bhagchand Dhurwe a job as a tractor driver,
in Chhapri

Shivnath Dhurwe (of Dhamangaon) at his new place of work,
 Royal Sylvan Resort Chapri.

Devendra Masram (of Batwar) at his new place of work,
Royal Sylvan Resort Chapri

Batwar - village volunteers clear the area around a well

Batwar - the well area after clearing 

Batwar - vegetable patch set up with our help at Aaghan Uddey's plot

Bhagpur - Volunteers bring materials to build check dam

Bhagpur - the completed check dam

Kutwahi - Compost pit being dug in Fagu Lal's backyard

Patpara - Village children pose with the plastic litter they cleaned up

THE FULL REPORT

Team: Amit Awasthi – Conservation Officer

            Sampathlal Dhurve – Field assistant

       

Highlights                                                                                                                                                  

1 voluntary work programme on water conservation – check dam built at Haldu jhodi nallah, Bhagpur

1 voluntary work for community assistance – area next to well cleaned at Batwar

3 awareness programmes on water conservation in 3 villages   

4 compost pits prepared in 4 villages

2 anti-plastic programmes

Organised nature camp

Environment education programme conducted in 11 schools – attended by 378 students

3 unemployed youths placed in local jobs through our Employment Cell

              

 Conservation 

In water conservation work, we organised a programme to construct a check dam on February 19. The site of the dam was a stream adjoining the jungle around 0.5 km from Bhagpur village. Thirteen villagers, including members of Sharda women’s self-help group (SHG), unemployed youths and village elders comprised the team which built the dam. Wildlife and domestic livestock will both benefit from this water body. Nilgai and sambar are spotted regularly in the area.

On February 12, Amit and Sampath led a team of 8 people in a programme to clear wild growth around a well at Batwar. Growth of bushes and shrubs had proliferated around the well and access to the well was affected. Our team, which comprised 2 youths and 4 women from the village, removed the wild growth and cleaned the area.

We also held 3 programmes during February to promote awareness about water conservation in villages. Details are given in the above table.

Our team encourages organic farming as part of our strategy to reduce the impact of chemical fertilisers on fields adjoining prime wildlife areas. Part of our work includes assistance to villagers in setting up vermi-compost tanks and compost pits. During February, we helped 4 villagers dig compost pits – Dhurv Singh of Batwar on February 5, Laxman Uikey of Kutwahi on February 23 and Jeevan Maravi of Patpara on February 25, Ujiyar Uikey of Sautiya on February 26.     

On February 18, our team organised an anti-plastic programme at Bhagpur. Amit and Sampath spoke to the villagers about the harmful impact of plastic/polythene on the environment and motivated them to remove such litter from the village. The team of villagers and students went around the village, collecting plastic and polythene litter/waste, which were then buried in a pit on the outskirts of the village. A similar anti-plastic programme was organised at Patpara on February 24.        

Education  

During the month, our team organised environment education programmes in 11 schools in the villages in our area of operations.

Education van programme

There were 2 film shows on nature and wildlife conservation in February.

Nature Camp

We conducted a nature camp for 32 students from 5 villages. The camp was held on February 9 and 10. During the camp, the children were taught about the biodiversity of the area and the need to conserve the same. The activities included a drawing contest, film shows on nature and wildlife, nature games and a nature trail in the adjoining jungle. Range Forest Officer (Khatiya) Suresh Khusre and Deputy Ranger (Khatiya) S C Thakre both attended the camp and spoke to the children. The presidents of village eco-development committees of Mocha and Chapri attended along with sarpanch of Mocha. The programme was also covered by two local TV news channels – Bansal and Swaraj.

Livelihood programmes

As part of our programme to reduce pressure on forests, we have been encouraging villagers to take up alternative livelihood options. In Kanha, we have been encouraging villagers to take up vegetable farming as there are several resorts around Mocha and there is a steady flow of tourists who ask for fresh vegetables. Over the past 2 years, we have assisted around 30 villagers in taking up vegetable farming and they are earning around 500-1,000 rupees a week in additional income. The vegetable patches are typically of small size and located in the backyards of the residences. Some villagers have now got enough confidence to expand and are planning to use part of their farm land for this activity.

Employment Cell

We helped 3 youths get jobs during the month of February.

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